#Techradio

Friday

Launch of the New Aston Martin V12 Zagato

I was lucky enough to be able to attend the launch of this fabulous car. at Galpin Motors in Los Angeles. I thought I'd share just how amazing the car is...

"The V12 Zagato is the pinnacle of the
Vantage range. It is also the latest expression of a successful creative
collaboration that has given rise to a series of striking GT cars over
the last half-century, the original and most iconic of which being the
DB4GT Zagato. Not only does this masterpiece rank amongst the most
desirable, collectable and valuable cars in history, its 50th anniversary provided the inspiration for the V12 Zagato.

Though
commemorating a great Aston Martin of the past the V12 Zagato could be
no mere pastiche of the original. Instead the project was seen as the
perfect opportunity to take Aston Martin’s ethos of technology and
tradition to a new and exciting level. To this end the V12 Zagato
combines the modern ideas, materials, processes and technology pioneered
on One-77, while remaining true to the purity and craftsmanship of its
illustrious forebear.

For Aston
Martin’s CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez, the V12 Zagato is “a celebration of both
Aston Martin’s heritage and its future”. He continues: “Our relationship
with Zagato stretches back more than 50 years. Together in that time we
have created a series of very special cars. The first – the DB4GT
Zagato – is a true icon: fast, beautiful and incredibly desirable. In
the V12 Zagato I believe we have captured the spirit of that car and
combined it with a confident twist of modernity to give it a character
all of its own.”

Initial design
concepts for the V12 Zagato were explored in early 2010. Inspired by
Zagato’s bold and individual styling signatures Aston Martin’s Director
of Design, Marek Reichman, and his Gaydon-based design team relished the
challenge of shaping the V12 Zagato, creating a car that pushes the
boundaries of Aston Martin’s design language, yet pays tribute to the
DB4GT Zagato. Demonstrating Aston Martin’s ability to rapidly bring
ideas to fruition the Zagato programme quickly gained momentum, the
design team working hand-in-hand with engineers and artisans to complete
the build of a pair of concept cars in the spring of 2011"